חכם גבריאל: Parsha quiz: What is something that makes people paranoid, and we find it in Prashat Balak?
Parsha quiz: What is something that makes people paranoid, and we find it in Prashat Balak?
Answers and Views:
Answer by Martin McCullough
Probably that damn wacky backy.
Rumours and fear for their future. We see it with Balak- he actually did not have to worry about the Jews attacking Moab as they had already been forbidden to attack them! Balak knew this- but as he had allready seen the fall of Sochon and Og, two kings that the people of Midian and Moab had been conquered by and lost land to, he fearedfor the future. Balak and the people of Moab gave in to their paranioa because of rumours- they feared that the Jews would conquer them because they had conquered others even though the jews were forbidden to do so. Fear of the future is just one of the reasons that divination and soothsaying is forbidden- it creates a paranioa that leads people to doing foolish things and making errors. We see it also with King saul, when fearing his future and no longer being able to consult the Urim v’Turim he goes to the witch of Endor and thus ensures an ignoble end for himself.
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